


Have You Considered Public Transportation?

by doctorbeam



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 4+1, 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Four Times, I promise, M/M, Minor Injuries, Non-Graphic Description of an Automobile Accident, Roadside Assistance, Sort Of, basically this is a self indulgent story inspired by four of my own real life car mishaps, catch me sneaking in my haosol, its like 5+1 but i didn't want to traumatize seungkwan that much, seoksoon is minor, they are college aged, too many references to mingyu's canines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21534772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorbeam/pseuds/doctorbeam
Summary: Boo Seungkwan is having a lot of car trouble recently and the universe keeps sending him Kim Mingyu to help.Alternatively:Four Time Seungkwan calls Mingyu for roadside assistance and one time he doesn't.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Kim Mingyu, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Seokmin | DK
Comments: 10
Kudos: 129





	Have You Considered Public Transportation?

**Author's Note:**

> I made myself very hungry researching Korean food while writing this

1.

“I’m not coming, Seokmin, I’m still like forty minutes away because of that audition.”

“But I don’t want to go by myself!” he screeched over his car’s speaker phone. 

“You aren’t going by yourself, it’s a date, you ding dong-”

“No it’s _not--”_

“Minnie, he’s so smitten with you, it’s kind of ridiculous. He wants to date you. And you like him! For ages! What’s the prob-” Seungkwan suddenly got cut off by a loud -POP!-

“What was that?” Seokmin asked, voice laced with curiosity.

“I’m… not really sure, it sounded like it came from the road,” Seungkwan explained, baffled. He turned the car phone volume down (Seokmin had the tendency to be too loud anyway) to listen. 

And then it was hard to steer. “Oh no,” Seungkwan gasped, attempting to stay in his lane. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Seokmin asked, clearly in panic mode. 

“I think my tire is flat!”

“Oh my god, are you still on the highway? You have to pull over!”

“I’m not going to pull over in the middle of the highway. There’s an exit right up here. Oh my god,” he quickly and _carefully_ moved from the left-most lane to the right to exit. “Seokmin, I’m hanging up now, I need to focus!”

“You better call me as soon as you get to safety!”

“I will! Oh my god!” 

Seungkwan pulled straight into the closest gas station and didn’t even make it into a real spot before turning his car off and opening the door frantically.

He was greeted by the strong stench of burning rubber in the air. “Oh my god,” he said to the empty station, waving a hand in front of his nose. “Oh my god--” he cut himself off with a gasp, finally looking to his rear tires. 

The back driver’s side tire had blown, leaving a trail of melted bits of rubber behind it. 

“Well, shit,” he stood and stared for a moment, letting it sink in. He’d never has this sort of thing happen to him before. Seungkwan prided himself in being a careful driver, but he never expected the elements to turn against him and POP HIS TIRE. 

He scrambled to get his phone from his pocket with frantic fingers. 

“Hello?”

“Mom? It’s Seungkwan-”

“I know, Love, I do have caller ID,” she joked lightly, clearly not picking up on the fact he was mid-crisis, “How did the audition go?”

“Fine. Mom, listen, don’t be mad-”

“Never a good start-”

“Mother, please, I’m serious.”

“Okay, you’ve successfully scared me, what’s going on?” a hint of worry tinged her voice. 

“I was driving back to my place and there was construction on the freeway and I must have run over something because my tire is obliterated, I’m so sorry, don’t be mad-”

“Seungkwan, are you telling me you have a flat tire?” she asked, her voice steady.

“Yes,” he answered, squeezing his eyes shut to brace himself for a scolding. 

He was instead met with a burst of laughter from his mother’s end of the line. 

“Kwannie, accidents happen all the time. I can’t be mad at you for that. I think I’ve had at least three flat tires in my life time, and your sister, don’t even get me started on that girl’s track record.” Seungkwan let out an anxious puff of laughter, relieved.

“Thank goodness. Okay, yes, I have a flat tire and you aren’t mad, thank you, but what do I do now?” he asked, running a hand through his previously gelled back hair.

“Oh, right. Hold on, I have the number for the roadside assistance old Mrs. Kim’s son runs… around here somewhere…” she hummed and Seungkwan heard papers being shuffled. “Ah! Found it! I’ll text you the number and all you have to do is call them and tell them where you are. You might have to wait a bit but, seriously Love, don’t stress too much about it. I am definitely not mad.” Seungkwan just let out a bit more nervous laughter at that. 

“Thank you, Mom, I love you, thank you so much, I could weep-”

“Call the number, you fool. Love you, too. Give me updates.” 

Seungkwan bid farewell to his mom and waited anxiously for the number to appear in his messages.

Kim’s Roadside Assistance 

(XXX) XXX-XXXX 

Good Luck! 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose at his mother’s teasing and just hit the number to call. He then promptly hung up after realizing he had no idea where he was.

He called again once he looked up the address of the gas station on his phone. 

“Ah, hello? Kim’s Roadside Assistance, this is Kim Minseok, how can I be of _assistance_?” the voice over the phone asked, light and jubilant.

“Hi!” he replied too excitedly and winced, “my mom gave me this number because I have a flat tire. My name is Boo Seungkwan-”

“Ah! Seungkwan! Yes, I know your parents. I hope you’re doing well besides the bum tire,” he said. Seungkwan smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. “Can you give me the location of where you are?” Seungkwan recited the address of the station. “Ah. Okay, that’s pretty far out, but luckily I have a truck out there already. You can just sit tight and I’ll dispatch him to you!”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kim!” Seungkwan replied, somewhat sad that the kind man wouldn’t be the one coming to help him. 

As soon as the line disconnected, he pressed Seokmin’s contact. 

“Oh, thank god you’re not dead!” Seungkwan huffed at his best friend’s greeting.

“Cut the dramatics-”

“Says the _actor-_ ”

“It’s just a flat tire, which apparently just happens sometimes. My mother already talked me off that ledge. And laughed at me, so I don’t need either of those from you.”

“Okay, okay, good.. I am very glad your car didn’t explode or fly off the road.”

“Well, yeah Minnie! Me too!”

Seokmin laughed into the receiver and it made Seungkwan crack a smile. “What are you doing now? I can’t imagine you know how to change a tire,” he teased.

“First of all, rude. On paper, I fully understand the process. And, of course, my mom knows someone who owns a roadside assistance company.”

“Naturally.”

“So someone should be out to help me in a bit,” he replied before hearing another, quiet voice over the line.

“It’s Seungkwan,” Seokmin told the voice, hand slightly over the receiver. “Minghao says hi,” he then said, addressing Seungkwan again, “And is so kindly reminding me we agreed to grocery shopping today. I must bid you adieu; I hope everything turns out okay Kwannie! Call me later?”

“Will do. Don’t forget to ask Hao about what to wear on your date with Soonyoung tonight-”

“Bye!” Seokmin exclaimed, before hanging up on him. Seungkwan let out a snort-laugh at his ridiculous friend. 

“Cute.” Seungkwan jumped a mile after being startled by the sudden voice,“I assumed you’re Boo Seungkwan? Seeing as you’re the only one here with a flat tire.” Seungkwan spun around, ready to glare at the person for scaring him, but he was not prepared to be met with the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome standing there, leaning one arm against his car and smiling slightly. Seungkwan averted his glare, eyes landing on the truck parked behind his car, the side of which was emblazoned with “Kim’s Roadside Assistance”.

“I am Boo, yes,” he fumbled, causing the man to smile brighter, his dumb canines poking out adorably, Seungkwan noted. “You are?”

“Well, I am Kim Mingyu, your _personal_ roadside assistant.”

“Kim?”

“My dad owns the company!” he explained and flashed that smile again. 

Seungkwan just blinked. This was not how he thought that interaction was going to go. “...Okay, well, that’s nice.”

Mingyu let out a small chuckle and pushed himself off Seungkwan’s car. “Let’s get going then,” he said before pulling a carjack seemingly from out of nowhere. “Do you have a spare in your car?”

“Um… maybe?”

“Can you pop your trunk for me? If you do have one, that’s where it’d be,” he explained. Seungkwan kept his mouth shut and just followed instructions. Again, Mingyu just seemed to produce a spare tire from the trunk of Seungkwan’s own car. “It was under the flooring,” Mingyu explained, again, so patiently with him, seeing the confusion etched into Seungkwan’s face. 

“Oh.”

Seungkwan then watched as Mingyu raised the side of his car with ease, and removed the flat tire with practiced efficiency. As Mingyu started hooking up the spare, Seungkwan couldn’t help but stand by, nervously biting his nails. 

“Whoa.”

“Whoa? What’s whoa?” Seungkwan asked.

“This tire is, like, comically too small.”

“W-what?!” Seungkwan spluttered, eyes wide and staring at the practically-twinkling eyes of his supposed assistant.

And then he let out his own snort of laughter. “Your face!” he laughed, “Relax man, I was just kidding. This is called a donut- it’s supposed to be small.” Seungkwan stared at him. 

“What?”

“It’s a donut! It’s meant to be smaller so it fits in your car easier. Economical storage or whatever,” he replied easily, smiling in a way that Seungkwan interpreted as apologetic before turning back to his work. 

“Oh,” he said, mostly to himself. 

Mingyu finished switching out the tires quickly and quietly after that, turning to Seungkwan again once the carjack was back in one hand and the flat in the other. 

“So it looks like the rim is still in good shape, it’s good you didn’t drive too much on the flat. If you take it to a shop, they should be able to put a new tire on this one,” he said, placing the aforementioned tire into Seungkwan’s trunk and closing it gently. Seungkwan nodded. “Now, since you have to donut, and it is smaller, it’s recommended you don’t go above 50mph. Can you get back home without taking the highway?”

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes on the man, “Are you joking again?”

Mingyu let out a guilty laugh and looked to his feet, “No, I’m not. Google it if you don’t believe me. Sorry about that earlier…” he scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly. 

“It’s… fine. Take the back roads; got it. What do I owe you? I don’t generally carry cash but I have my checkbook-”

“Oh! Dad said you were covered, so don’t worry about it. Again, not joking!” he added quickly. 

“Are you sure?”

“Dad is the boss,” he shrugged. 

“Well… thank you.”  
“It’s what I do,” he smiled, teeth peeking through his lips once again, “Drive safe!” 

Seungkwan climbed into his car, sat for a good thirty seconds before scrambling to call Seokmin. 

  
  
  


2.

Seungkwan ended up going to a car repair shop (suggested to him by his mother of course) the day after the “incident” as he and Seokmin had started calling it. Mingyu had been right, the rim was in perfect shape and he was able to buy his new tires, get them rotated, and get out of the shop within a couple of hours. He was almost even able to completely forget about the “incident” within the week. 

Until the universe decided once again that he needed a reminder. 

He had spent the better part of his afternoon at the coffee shop Hansol worked at despite it being farther from his apartment. He was half memorizing lines for the commercial he booked and half quizzing Hansol for his upcoming early childhood development exam during the slow bits of the shift. 

He went out to his car to leave when his grumbling stomach got too much to bear with his favorite ramyeon waiting for him at home. He let the dusk light guide him to his car and plugged in his phone. He made it about a half a foot before he was met with a startling (and disconcerting) scraping noise. He stomped on the brakes and turned down his carefully selected Girl’s Generation playlist. 

Silence. 

Seungkwan furrowed his brow and eased his foot to the gas again.

Instead of a scrape, he got an earful of a **_crack_ **. 

“Oh no,” he said to his empty car. Seungkwan then carefully put it back in park and slowly got out to assess the situation. He looked underneath first but didn’t see anything, the low light not helping his predicament. He frowned, peeking at the back, looking fine, and then the front- “Oh.”

It appeared as though he had overshot the curb when he had initially arrived and his front bumper had gotten caught on the lip. The scraping was a pretty good indicator that something was about to go wrong, and the crack was just that; his bumper had come right off the front of his car. It laid in the grass, illuminated by his headlights with what looked like bolts scattered around it. 

Seungkwan looked up to the dimming sky, taking a deep breath in an effort not to scream in frustration. He turned off his car and hurried back inside, explaining his new predicament to Hansol. 

“Wow, didn’t you just get a flat tire, too?” Hansol asked, clearly trying to hide an amused smile.

“Yes, also shut up. Can you help me?” Hansol’s smiled turned apologetic. 

“I’ve got no other coverage and I’m closing. If you want to wait for another two hours?” Seungkwan grimaced, stomach protesting loudly. “Seokmin?”

“On a date.”

“Soonyoung?”

“On that same date.”

“I will need more details on that later. Roommates?”

“Both are on a design class trip out of town.”

“And Minghao has class late on Thursdays; what about Chan?”

“Teaches ballet classes on Thursday nights.”

Hansol frowned, “Well, who did you call when you had the flat?” 

Seungkwan’s face brightened, “Oh! Kim’s Roadside Assistance! Duh! That’s perfect! Thank you Sollie!”

“No problem!” He called after him with an amused voice but Seungkwan kept going, onto the patio of the shop to make the call. 

“Hello? Kim’s Roadside Assistance,” an unfamiliar, feminine voice greeted, “This is Kim Jiyoung, how can we be of assistance?” she asked.

“Oh! Um, sorry to be a bother so late but it appears I have… my bumper is no longer on my car and I needed some help putting it back on so I can go home,” he explained, suddenly nervous to be speaking to another new person at this company. 

“Ah, I see, your bumper _fell off_ ,” she replied, tone light and teasing, “It’s okay honey, we’ve had more embarrassed people call us. Can you tell me your name and where you’re at?” Seungkwan breathed a slight sigh of relief before giving his information. “Boo… oh! _Boo Seungkwan_! We’ve seen you quite recently, haven’t we?”

“Hence the embarrassment ma’am,” he replied. 

“Don’t worry about it son, I’m dispatching someone out to you. Tell your mother we say hello!” 

“Thank you, ma’am, will do.” 

After hanging up, Seungkwan poked his head in to tell Hansol he’s getting some help via the roadside assistance company and went to wait on the porch.

He didn’t think too hard about it, but he really wasn’t expecting Kim Mingyu to be the one to roll up to his aid again. But there he was, tall, dark, and handsome climbing out of his truck, and _smiling_ at Seungkwan. 

“Oh god no.”

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure Mr. Boo? To see you again so soon?” Mingyu called out, more chipper than Seungkwan remembered. He quickly met Mingyu next to his new worst enemy (his car).

“The bumper…”

“I can see that it is no longer attached to your car. How did that happen?” Seungkwan laughed nervously, starting to turtle into his jacket.

“Well, you see--”

“Relax, Seungkwan, seriously. It happens,” he gave Seungkwan a little shrug of the shoulders, “I’ve seen much worse. Can you hold up this light for me?” Seungkwan pursed his lips but did as instructed, once again. He watched, nervously still, as Mingyu collected the bolts and assessed the damage. “Luckily, it looks like nothing broke. Miraculous, actually. I can just re-attach your bumper, no new parts needed.”

“Wha- Really?” Seungkwan asked, dropping his arms a bit in surprise. “It made quite a loud noise.”

“Oh, I’m sure. But it’s an easy fix,” he glanced back up to Seungkwan, flashing his smile, “as long as you hold up that light, Mr. Boo.” 

Seungkwan flushed, but Mingyu had turned back to the job at hand. Seungkwan’s eyes widened. 

_Oh no._

Seungkwan tried not to let the overwhelming thoughts about Mingyu and his cute teasing and cute face and cute little canines that poke out when he smiles get to him because he needed to _hold that light_. 

Mingyu snapped things into place and clamped a few others and finished up within 30 minutes. Seungkwan let out a huff or two as his arms ached, but was always gifted a ‘just a little bit longer, Seungkwan,’ paired with a smile. Always smiling. It was killing him. 

“Okay, good as new!” Seungkwan jumped when Mingyu yelled, hopping up from his kneeling position. “Sorry, I tend to not know where my volume is,” he admitted. 

“It’s okay. So what do I owe you this time?” 

Mingyu seemed to ponder the question for a moment, taking his light and packing up his equipment. “Well, no new parts or any towing so… nothing.”

“Oh please, you came out here and did labor-”

“How about this,” he started, turning towards his open truck door and rifling through a few things before turning back to Seungkwan, hand outstretched, “I have never had two calls for one person in four days. Have you considered public transportation?”

Seungkwan looked down to see Mingyu offering a small rectangular piece of paper, “What?” He took it and wanted to immediately throw it back in his smug face. A bus pass. He was honestly speechless. 

“If you do decide to keep on driving,” he continued, climbing into his truck, “call me if you need me.” And he drove off. 

Seungkwan was flabbergasted. He looked back down to the bus pass. It was expired, by a long while, according to the date printed. He turned it over in his hands to see a phone number scrawled in messy handwriting and a ‘my direct line for your next automobile mishap’ and immediately dropped it. 

“Oh my GOD!” Seungkwan yelled into the night, scrambling to pick up the card and pull out his phone to call Seokmin at the same time. 

  
  
  


3\. 

“I should have never let you drive.”

“So you’ve said six times in the past five minutes now,” Seokmin huffed, hands gripping tighter around the wheel.

“Well it’s true! How do you not notice we’re almost out of gas? It lights up!”

“Please calm down, it’s just a couple more miles until the next exit. You were asleep and I wasn’t… paying attention the gauge.”

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you on the phone with Soonyoung, _sweetie pie-”_

“Oh shush! I thought you were asleep!”

“I was. It invaded my dreams like Freddy Krueger.”

Seokmin groaned and it was quiet for another tense second, until “hey, if we break down you can call that cute tow truck guy.” 

“If you weren’t currently holding my life in your hands, I would smack you.”

“Two more miles!” Seokmin reassured before the car stuttered. “Oh.”

“Oh no,” Seungkwan sat up straighter, “No, this is not happening,” another stutter, “Seokmin!”

“I’m pulling over!”

When the car finally stuttered to a complete stop, right under the “1 3⁄4 Mile to Exit 10” sign, Seungkwan’s face was buried in his hands.

“You know, give it a week and we’ll laugh about this.”

“Oh my god. This is exactly what my mother warns me about- I should have worn a heavier coat, maybe gloves too, if I knew we’d be stranded on the side of the road-”

“It’s not that cold!”

“Call Soonyoung back, tell him to save us, I’m begging you,” he pleaded into his hands.

“See that’s the thing, Soonyoung went home this weekend. I was totally kidding before but it appears that we could use some… roadside assistance.”

“No.” 

“Seungkwan-“

“Nope. I am not calling him. I am not embarrassing myself in front of him for a third time. No way. No,” he finished, not receiving any sort of response from his friend. Finally, he looked up to Seokmin. He was biting his lip and had a phone up to his ear. A phone in a pink case. Seungkwan’s phone. “NO!” He screeched, lunging for him. 

“Cute Car Guy? Really?” Seokmin asked in a whisper, stretching away from Seungkwan’s grabby hands. Seungkwan’s lunge was too abrupt and his seatbelt locked and kept him in place instead of saving himself from imminent humiliation. Seokmin pressed the speaker button.

“ _Hello?”_

Seokmin just looked at Seungkwan, eyebrows raised. Seungkwan wondered how mad Soonyoung would be if he killed Seokmin and hid his body in the brush. 

“Um, hi, is this Kim Mingyu?” He relented. 

It was quiet for a moment before, “ _I was beginning to think you wouldn’t reach out Mr. Boo.”_

Seokmin mouthed ‘Mr. Boo?’ with a glint in his eye. 

“Well, you did say to call if I needed some assistance…”

“ _Are you telling me you’re calling because you’re having car trouble again?”_ Seungkwan thought Mingyu sounded disappointed almost, but powered through.

“Yes. My idiot best friend and I were driving home from this art show across state and I fell asleep and he ran out of gas!” A soft chuckle over the line, “We were so close to getting home, too,” he pouted.

“ _Luckily just finished my last call. Where are you guys at_?”

Seokmin jumped in, telling him exactly where the car puttered to a stop off the highway. Mingyu told them to sit tight and he’d be there within 20 minutes and bid farewell. 

“You better wipe that smug look off your face because you are on my shit list, Lee Seokmin.” 

As promised, the now familiar Kim’s Roadside Assistance truck pulled up behind the stranded car a little while later. Seokmin jumped out of the driver's seat as Seungkwan meandered. Mingyu greeted them with the bright teeth-flashing smile Seungkwan was used to up to that point. 

“Hey Seungkwan,” he said, then glanced over in Seokmin’s direction, “and?”

“I’m Seokmin!”

“Ah, the idiot best friend?” Seungkwan let out a little laugh and Seokmin huffed. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Seokmin grumbled, making Mingyu crack another smile. 

“Let’s get you back on the road, then!” Mingyu exclaimed, grabbing a bright red canister from the bed of his truck. “It’s only about two gallons left in here,” he started, motioning to one of them to pop the fuel door, which Seungkwan quickly did, “but it’s definitely enough to get you off the freeway and into a gas station,” he explained, removing the gas cap and inserting the nozzle. 

“Thanks man, if it wasn’t for you, I’m pretty sure Seungkwan would have actually murdered me-”

“I still might-” Seokmin let out a faux gasp and practically dove into the passenger’s seat to escape the blond’s wrath.

“Okay!” Mingyu finished, smiling brightly again, “You’re all set to go!”

“What do I owe you? You definitely have to let me pay you this time,” Seungkwan insisted. He watched as Mingyu threw the empty canister into his truck and turn back around, smile looking more devious than friendly. 

“Nope. You don’t owe me anything, I’m off the clock. Also,” he fished his phone from his pocket, “I have your number now, too. That’s plenty enough,” he smirked, waving his phone in farewell at Seungkwan before climbing into his truck. 

Seungkwan gaped after him. Seokmin laughed from inside the car, having heard the entire exchange. Seungkwan got in, smacked his shoulder, and threatened “Not a WORD Minnie.”

4.

Seungkwan huffed at the sight of the snow falling from him safe, warm spot behind the glass door of the studio. He wrinkled his nose and pulled his phone from his pocket.

-just got out of rehearsal, I think it went really well! I wasn’t expecting snow-

- _ I’m sure you did wonderfully~- _

Seungkwan smiled down at his phone. He would deny it if Seokmin ever asked, but he’d been texting Mingyu since the gas incident. 

It started innocently enough (not that it was currently anything but innocent either) with Mingyu having texted to make sure they ended up home safe, immediately followed with a text saying he’d be at the ready to fix another flat tire. 

Seungkwan just… hadn’t stopped texting him since. They actually had a lot in common, which surprised Seungkwan at first. The more they texted, though, the more and more evident the similarities became. Mingyu had sent a picture of the dish his mother made for dinner once, a steaming bowl of kimchi jjigae, which is Seungkwan’s favorite, so he told him. They talked about their favorite things to eat, favorite places to eat, favorite places to go in general— they just talked about anything and everything; Seungkwan couldn’t really remember the month before when he did. 

- _ drive safe-  _ popped up, adorned with a mouse emoji. They’d taken to telling each other whenever either of them was signing off to drive.

-of course!- he replied with a puppy emoji. 

Seungkwan smiled before fast-walking carefully from the studio to his car. He hopped in and started up the heat before pulling up his music app, deciding on his ballad playlist. He pulled out of the parking lot and started the long drive home. It was dark and soft of deserted, but Seungkwan recognized the exit he pulled off on when he got his flat tire; it didn’t make him feel so disconcerted anymore.

Somewhere between belting out the lyrics with an FTIsland song and coming up to the exit before his own, visibility had gotten a little iffy and he drove with his knuckles white around the wheel. 

Suddenly, he didn’t see the road at all any longer; he saw the median as his body pulled tightly against his seatbelt, stealing his breath from his lungs, and his car spun over ice he hadn’t seen. 

Seungkwan felt like he was moving in slow motion. He could feel the control he had over his car disappear as the wheels left the asphalt. He was spinning, faster then. He remembered to stay calm, surprisingly, but that was mostly due to the fact it didn’t feel real. It felt like minutes his car spun (median, road, trees, road, median, again), when in reality it was just a few seconds before his car spun into the low shoulder, slowing down enough so when he hit the embankment a few feet below, he wasn’t thrown around too much more. 

Seungkwan could feel his pulse in his ears and his hands were still gripping the steering wheel with all his strength. It took just a moment to process, but when he brought his hands back, they were shaking violently. He let out a sob, letting everything sink in, and started groping for his phone through the wall of tears building in his eyes and the deep pain in his chest. He ripped it out from the aux and pressed call.

“ _ Hello? _ ” he asked, already sounding slightly concerned

“Mingyu,” he sobbed again.

“ _ Seungkwan, what’s wrong _ ?” he asked, rustling sounds accompanying him. 

“I-I hit ice, I-”

“ _ Are you okay? Where are you? _ ” Seungkwan could hear keys jingling.

“I-I just passed exit 14. I’m-I’m in a ditch, I think. I d-don’t think… I’m really hurt.”

“I’m already on my way,” he told Seungkwan, who let out another teary sob, “H _ ey, Seungkwan. Kwannie, you’re going to stay on the phone with me until I get there. Are you sure you aren’t hurt? _ ”

Seungkwan swallowed hard, rubbing his eyes so he could assess the situation, “Um,” he started, “I haven’t really tried to move, but,” he wiggled his toes, gently kicked his legs out, sat up straight and let out another gasp as a sharp pain shot down his chest.

“ _ Seungkwan? _ ”

“I-it’s just from the seat belt, I think,” he said, gently pulling at his layered collars, seeing the purples and reds swirling around in the start of a deep bruise across his chest. 

“ _ That’s the only bad thing about seat belts, they’ll save your life for a nasty bruise. What about everything else? Should I call an ambulance? _ ”

“P-panicking is my job,” he tried to joke, and received a huff on the other end of the line, “Everything else feels okay. Are you close? My c-car shut off when I hit, so it’s k-kind of getting cold.”

“ _ We are just a few minutes away. Dad is following behind me with the tow. I was watching a drama with him and I kinda just jumped up when you called. It was actually pretty cool, I signaled him with my hand and he jumped up too- anyway, just hold tight okay? Keep talking to me _ .” 

“About what?” he sniffled, which didn’t do much to stop the tears from continually falling down his face.

“ _ Tell me about what you ate for lunch _ .” 

Seungkwan cracked a small smile. “Joowon made lunch f-for me this morning. She put in a leftover b-bungeoppang.”

“ _ Oh? Did she make them herself? _ ”

“Of course not,” he smiled “she can’t bake. Bin had b-bought too many at a stand last night.” 

“ _ Did you heat it up or eat it cold? _ ”

“D-do you think I’m a heathen? I w-warmed it up, of course.”

“ _ Of course, _ ” Seungkwan could hear his smile over the phone, “ _ My mom packed me a lunch to take to work, too. She always makes Dad and I different dosiraks. Today was jangjorim and gamja salad. _ ”

“That sounds heavenly,” Seungkwan replied and glanced up from his lap, noticing flashing yellow lights through the snow. “Is that you?” 

“ _ Yeah Seungkwan, we’re here. _ ”

Seungkwan felt a new round of tears well up in his eyes as he gently unbuckled his seat belt. He suddenly wasn’t sure if he could even open his door, since he really didn’t survey the rest of the situation, but he didn’t have to worry too long. Mingyu appeared next to his car on the small slope, pulling open his driver’s side door. He didn’t realize how sideways he was until Mingyu helped him out. He couldn’t say a word- just fell into Mingyu’s waiting embrace. Seungkwan grasped at the fabric of Mingyu’s coat and arms wrapped around his middle, securely but not too tight. Seungkwan heard Mingyu and his dad talking but he didn’t pick up what they were saying. Seungkwan was safe, and warm, in Mingyu’s arms. 

“Hey, Seungkwan,” Mingyu started, not moving away from the hug; in fact, he raised one hand and gently grazed the nape of Seungkwan’s neck, “let’s get you up to my car.” Seungkwan just nodded into Mingyu’s chest. 

If the accident went in slow motion, the rest of Seungkwan’s night went by in a flash. Mingyu ended up driving him home, greeted by the frantic faces of his roommates. They invited Mingyu in after a small portion of the events were relayed and that’s how Seungkwan ended up swaddled in two blankets on the recliner with a cup of hot tea in front of him and a sleepy-eyed Mingyu sitting by his feet. At some point, either Jowoon or Bin had texted pretty much everyone in their friends group and more people had congregated in their living room. 

Mingyu had updated him an hour after they arrived that his dad got the car towed and it was banged up but not totaled. He only nodded and let his friends continue to distract him. He listened to Chan and Hansol bicker about which of Seungkwan’s favorite Disney movie to put on, watched Minghao physically make Hansol sit down next to him on the couch when Chan put on Jungle Book instead of the Aristocats, and smiled softly when Soonyoung and Seokmin serenaded him with Bare Necessities. Mingyu continued to sit by his feet, chatting with his friends and keeping him grounded until Seungkwan dozed off.

+1.

Seungkwan woke up in his bed, dazed. He attempted to sit up, but collapsed back down because of soreness resting deep in his bones. 

“Ow,” he groaned to the empty room. 

“Seungkwannie! Are you okay?” Joowon called from the hallway, sounding concerned. 

“Yeah, Joo, I just… sort of forgot I wrecked my car last night,” he called back. He groaned again, managing to actually pull himself up on the second try.

“I’m coming in,” she replied before gently opening his door and sitting on the edge of his bed. “You really scared us, you know. Everyone is still asleep in the living room.” Seungkwan raised an eyebrow, and Joowon smirked. “Everyone except for your tall, dark, and handsome. He left after carrying you to bed last night.”

“Oh,” Seungkwan replied, “wait,  _ what _ ?” he exclaimed, eyes wide. 

Joowon just giggled at him. “Seokmin called you off work. And he called your mom. She’ll be here in a bit, so you better go back to sleep until she gets here. I’ll have some breakfast ready for you then. Get some rest,” she finished with a kiss to the temple and closed the door behind her. 

He blinked then scrambled looking around for his phone. Miraculously, it was plugged in and resting on his night stand. He slid back down, laying as he unlocked his phone. His eyelids grew heavy quickly from being sore and stressed, and dozed right back to sleep with a half-written reply to Mingyu’s - _ sleep well _ -.

When he awoke, he presumed an hour or so later, it was to his mother brushing his hair from his face with her soft fingers.

“Oh, baby,” she cooed when he looked up to her. 

“Mom-”

“When Seokmin called, he just about scared me half to death, you know,” her hand grazed down his neck and stopped just before where Seungkwan was sure the seat belt bruise ran down his chest, “Maybe you should have gone to the hospital-”

“No, Mom, its fine, I’m fine. Just slightly traumatized and definitely bruised- ego included,” he said, sitting up with maximum effort. She gave him a sad smile, and nodded. There was a light knock on his door, Bin appearing and trying not to intrude.

“Joowon said to get you for breakfast,” he said with a smile and disappeared back down the hall. 

“Hungry?” he asked and his mother smiled again.

.

Everyone had still been dozing in the living room when Seungkwan and his mother made it to the kitchen- Seokmin and Soonyoung looking comfortably tangled on one couch, Hansol and Minghao on the other, and Chan underneath the coffee table for some reason. Whether it was the light conversation in the kitchen as the roommates and Mrs. Boo chatted or the smell of tea and  gyeranmari that was cooked up, the others slowly started rousing.

“I smell food,” was all Hansol said before pouring a cup of tea for himself and Minghao, who was sleepily clinging to his back. 

“Good morning,” Soonyoung greeted, plopping down next to Mrs. Boo, “Where’s your knight in shining armor?” Mrs. Boo raised an eyebrow as Seungkwan flushed. 

“He is not my knight in shining armor.”

“Who?” his mother asked.

“Just… Mingyu…”

“The Kim’s boy?” She clarified. All the others bit their lips to keep from smiling. Seungkwan made a note to disown all of them before nodding. She looked at him for a moment before smiling brightly. “Oh, he’s such a sweet boy. He’s the one that helped you yesterday?” He nodded again. 

“Swept him right up and carried him to bed, too,” Chan voiced, still in the living room.

“Oh my god,” Seungkwan said, burying his head in his hands, but his mother just laughed.

“I’m not saying anything! Except I may have to call Jiyoung later-”

“Mom, I cannot believe you’d do this to me. I’ve been betrayed by all of you. I’m injured, wounded even, and this is how I’m treated!”

“At least we know he’s the same old Seungkwan,” Seokmin jabbed, making Seungkwan sneer. Everyone laughed and dropped the topic as they started eating. 

Things settled down quickly following, friends leaving to go about the rest of their days, leaving with a hug, hair ruffle, or a wet, overdramatic kiss to Seungkwan’s forehead (Seokmin) at the door. His mother stayed to cook a few meals for him and his roommates and to double check everywhere for any other injuries before also saying goodbye, peppering kisses all over his face in farewell.

“Have you talked to him today?” Joowon asked as soon as the door was closed, making Seungkwan sigh.

“No, I haven’t really looked at my phone. I should text him-” 

“You should call him,” Bin interrupted, popping into view, “Invite him over because Joowon and I actually have to head to the museum for this assignment and we don’t want to leave you alone.” 

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “you couldn’t have said that when literally all my friends were here?”

“Not  _ all _ your friends-”

“Besides,” he interrupted again, “I don’t need a babysitter!”

“Oh, come on Kwannie,” he kept going, exasperated, “it isn’t that you need a babysitter, it’s more… that he’d want to see you. Just invite him over, give him some of your mom’s food and just see where it goes!”

“Ew, don’t say stuff like that. Just…” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “get out so I can call him. You nasties.” They laughed and grabbed their bags before rushing out the door. 

Seungkwan grabbed his phone from his room, gingerly sitting on the edge of his bed, and opening the newest unread message from Mingyu. He frowned at his own half-written, unsent response to his text from the night before but it was quickly replaced with a grin reading the text.

_ -How are you feeling?- _

Seungkwan remembered what Bin had said, that Mingyu would want to see him. It made Seungkwan flush, realizing he wanted to see Mingyu again too. He was slightly disappointed that Mingyu hadn’t stayed when all his other friends did. He shouldn’t have expected him to sleep on the floor surrounded by strangers, but yes, he selfishly wished Mingyu had stayed. 

Seungkwan decided to just bite the bullet and pressed the call button. 

“ _ Seungkwan? Are you okay?”  _ Seungkwan let the breath of air he was holding escape as a chuckle.

“Yeah, Mingyu, I’m okay. Sore, but definitely okay.”

“ _ Oh, thank goodness. I get a little anxious when you call I guess; it’s not usually good,” _ he said before laughing awkwardly over the line, making Seungkwan frown again. 

“Hey. Let’s change that, then. I am calling to invite you over. To thank you, you know, for everything. You never did let me pay you and my mom made kimchi jjigae and I want to treat you. Please?” It was quiet over the line for a moment, anxiety creeping up Seungkwan’s neck.

“ _ Yeah. Yes, Absolutely,”  _ he could hear the smile in Mingyu’s voice,  _ “I’ll be there in 20.” _

“Can’t wait.” 

They hung up and Seungkwan stared at his dark phone with a dopey grin for a beat before remembering he was still in his pajamas and he needed to get ready ASAP.

A quick shower and ten minutes in front of the mirror in attempts to find something that covered his now-massive black and blue bruise across his chest and neck later, a knock on the door beckoned his attention. He fussed with hair briefly and ran to the door as quickly as his injured self could go. 

“Wha- flowers?” was all Seungkwan could say when he opened his door.

“Yes. Flowers. For you,” Mingyu said behind the small bouquet, smiling shyly. “Get well soon?”

“But this was supposed to be a treat for you,” Seungkwan pouted, but gently took the flowers anyway and lead Mingyu inside. 

“Seeing you is always a treat!” Seungkwan had the self-control not to whimper, but definitely flushed at the statement. 

“Tell that to my poor car,” he said in jest, “Anyway! Thank you! These are lovely,” he said turning back around after putting them in a vase from under the kitchen sink, “You… are lovely. So! Kimchi jjigae!” 

Mingyu was smiling brightly at him and took a step closer, keeping Seungkwan back against the kitchen counter, “Lovely, you say?” Seungkwan bit his lip to try and hide his smile. “I just want to clarify something, if that’s okay?” Seungkwan nodded and let Mingyu continue. “I helped you that first time because that is kind of my job. But I need you to know that I definitely was not just doing a job last night,” he said quietly, taking a moment to hesitantly reach out and graze his fingers lightly over the line of purple peeking out of Seungkwan’s collar, “I want to be the one you call and I want to be there for you because… well I kind of got a thing for you.”

“W-what? Really?” Seungkwan asked, genuinely surprised and reeling from the hand now resting easily on his good shoulder. 

Mingyu gave a heartier laugh, “Yes! Don’t tell my dad I haven’t been charging you either, it’s kinda been off the books.”

“No way-”

“I like you, Seungkwan.” 

He blinked, “I… like you, too, Mingyu.”

“Good,” and Seungkwan is greeted with that beautiful smile with the canines peeking out, “I am going to kiss you.”

“Okay, yes, you should.”

Mingyu leaned down, the breath of their light laughter meeting in the middle before Mingyu ghosted his lips over Seungkwan’s. He kissed him then, light and almost hesitant. Seungkwan brought his own hand to the small of Mingyu’s back, pulling him closer ever so slightly, but made the kiss more certain. More what he’d realized he’d been waiting to do. Mingyu cradled either side of Seungkwan’s face in his calloused hands as he kissed him again and again, small and chaste, but purposeful. 

Seungkwan chased after his lips when Mingyu pulled back with his eyes still closed, earning him another quick peck on the lips and another burst of bubbly laughter. 

“I remember you saying something about kimchi jjigae?”

“No, I’m all out. No more actually. I think Joowon and Bin took it with them-” Mingyu chuckled and appeased Seungkwan with another kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> For any of you that are wondering about my misfortunes these were based on:  
> 1\. My roadside assistance gave me the ‘comically too small’ line too and I almost cried.  
> 2\. I pulled my bumper off on a curb. Everything was not in tact. Duct Tape was involved.  
> 3\. My friends and I were almost out of gas on the highway but we actually made it to a station. Screaming was still involved.  
> 4\. I spun out on ice, but didn’t end up in a ditch. I still cried.  
> These also didn’t happen within the same month and actually involved three different cars over the 7 years I’ve been driving. Poor Seungkwan just had really bad luck.


End file.
